She'd known, somehow, that Stefan would see it that way. Which is why she'd broached the subject in the first place.

"That's what the Order of the Silver Crescent does," she told him gently. "We see to it that no children are forced to be used like that. That they know how to use their powers for their own sake. Not for anyone else's."

A twittering over her head caught her attention. She turned to see a sparrow flying away from them. It was a pretty picture. It made her think of some of the dhampir they protected. Sparrows with broken wings. They were taught how to fly.

And most of them left.

"I'm not saying you need to make a decision now. You shouldn't. But...promise me that you'll think about it, all right? About joining us some day?"